Controversial England all-rounder Ben Stokes won’t be rushed back into top team

Ben Stokes is free to play cricket for England again — but when will he return?Source: Getty Images

ENGLAND coach Trevor Bayliss has welcomed the return of Ben Stokes but says the all-rounder is unlikely to play the first one-day international of the New Zealand series.

Stokes indicated a plea of not guilty to a charge of affray at Bristol magistrates’ court on Tuesday and will join his England teammates this week in Hamilton ahead of their five-match series starting February 25.

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Bayliss said Stokes, who will miss the Twenty20 game against the Kiwis on Sunday, needs to get back up to speed before he can feature in the starting 11.

“He hasn’t played for a while,” Bayliss said.

“It is not as if we can maybe bring him straight back for these T20s, for example.

“We have got to get him up to speed and hopefully during this one-day series we can get him back into the team.

“At this stage I’d have to say it was unlikely (he’ll play the first ODI). We’ll have to wait and see how he is with travel, with practice.”

Stokes, one of world cricket’s most-destructive batsmen, last played a competitive match for Canterbury in New Zealand’s domestic T20 competition last December.

England's Ben Stokes is nearing a return to the pitch.Source: AFP

His absence was not necessarily felt during England’s 4-1 ODI series win against Australia.

However, that success has been followed by three consecutive T20 failures, with two losses against Australia and on Tuesday against New Zealand.

“Right throughout the summer we’ve been down to five bowlers, especially in the one-dayers and T20s,” Bayliss added.

“We’ve been able to have six bowlers before, which gives the captain plenty of different options. I think that’s what we’ve missed the most apart from his individual performances.” Stokes is expected to feature in England’s two tests against New Zealand at Auckland and Christchurch next month.